-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- In January 2010 , a hardcore `` Transformers '' fan going by `` gaastra '' on a message board for Shout ! Factory -LRB- a DVD and CD company `` for the discerning pop culture geek '' -RRB- asked the simple question , `` What would it take to get the Takara shows a release in America ? ''

Before long , Shout ! Factory DVD producer Brian Ward was asking fans how much interest they would have in such a release and what they would like to see on it .

18 months later , the first of the `` Takara shows , '' known as `` Transformers : Headmasters , '' was officially released Tuesday for the first time in the United States .

Such is the relationship that geek-friendly companies like Shout ! have with fans that this release has seen the light of day .

`` I 'm really excited about it , '' said Michael Albert of Bear , Delaware , moderator of Seibertron.com , a `` Transformers '' community site that boasts as many as 300,000 page views per day -LRB- mostly by fans whose interest in `` Robots in Disguise '' goes well beyond one of the biggest box office successes of the year , `` Transformers : Dark of the Moon , '' and its predecessors -RRB- . `` This is the first time we 've gotten a legitimate release of this Japanese series . You would have to get recordings of them burned onto DVDs , or import them from Australia or Europe , or find a laser-disc player from the 1980s to watch this . ''

Albert and others from Seibertron.com -- one of many fan sites like tfarchive.com , tformers.com and tfw2005.com -- said that these releases were one of the most sought-after items by fans over the years .

The Transformers first became a pop cultural phenomenon in the U.S. in the mid - '80s , based on a pair of toy lines from Japan 's Takara company , Microman and Diaclone . When interest in the characters faded after a very short-lived fourth season of the original `` G1 '' animated series , it came full circle with the Japanese producing `` Headmasters , '' the first in a series of anime which took the characters in a wild new direction , involving new characters who were able to detach their heads , which were entirely separate characters -LRB- the U.S. series only touched on this concept briefly before it ended -RRB- .

`` It really is interesting to see just how the Japanese and their culture played into a series that for most of us we 've only known as straightforward Autobots vs Decepticons , '' said Ward , a `` Transformers '' fan himself who has produced all of the Shout ! Factory releases of other series , such as `` G1 '' and the 1990s `` Transformers : Beast Wars . ''

'' -LSB- The Takara anime series -RSB- really bends towards a lot of things that Japanese children want to see , '' said Albert . `` After ` Headmasters ' is over , the Transformers are not so much sentient robots but having human drivers . From what I understand , Japanese children prefer having human drivers . ''

Ward pointed out other , more subtle culture differences . `` Where the G1 characters would call Optimus Prime ` optimus ' -- they were pretty casual with their leader -- the Japanese approach it very differently . Optimus Prime will be referred in more of a formal manner , he 'll be ` Commander ' or something among those lines . ''

`` The Autobots and Decepticons -LSB- in these series -RSB- are , no pun intended a well ordered machine , '' he said . `` It 's interesting to watch those characters change culturally . ''

`` Some major characters die early on , '' said Matt Brown of Canton , Michigan , a podcaster at Seibertron.com . `` Later in the series , another major character bites the dust . They do n't mess around . ''

As with any anime import , there is the eternal debate of `` subbed versus dubbed . '' There are some fans who simply do not want to watch subtitles .

Kim Manning , head programmer for Adult Swim -LRB- which is owned by Time Warner , also owner of CNN -RRB- , and one of the top people responsible for what anime series are seen in the United States , said that every effort is made to get dubbed versions .

`` I think they 're more likely to reach a more mainstream audience , and we 're always hoping to get a larger audience excited about anime , '' she said . `` I think hearing it in your native language allows you to get more absorbed in the action , and to pay more attention to the animation , which is often just gorgeous . ''

In the case of `` Headmasters '' however , the episodes are not dubbed , but have brand-new subtitles .

`` We saw the releases that had come out in the U.K. and Australia and saw that the subtitles there were n't entirely accurate , and in some cases did n't make sense , '' said Ward . `` It was clear that the folks who had translated did not use English as their first language . We gave it to a really good captioning and subtitling house in L.A. and they did a brilliant job of accurately translating the dialogue and understanding what was being said . We got those scripts approved by Hasbro -LRB- owners of ` Transformers ' -RRB- , and we 're really happy with the outcome . The translation is about as close as one can get to an accurate translation of what 's being said in Japanese . ''

Dubbed versions of the series are out there , however , including one for Malaysian and Singapore television . `` When we heard them , it really got to a point where it was comical , '' Ward explaned . `` The voices were awful . Names would change . Soundwave disappears and is simply replaced by ` New Soundwave . ' It was almost the equivalent of watching a Saturday afternoon martial arts movie dub , and that 's certainly not something we wanted to do with a property as beloved as ` Transformers , ' so we opted out of original dubs and went for brand new subtitles . ''

Early fan reaction to this was not entirely positive . `` There was a small bit of disappointment that the project could n't secure enough funding to do a brand-new English dub , '' said Seibertron.com podcaster Bob King of Ashley , Pennsylvania . `` I kind of share that feeling , but I also know that this is n't going to be a very mainstream release , and for them to spend that much money would be kind of a gamble . I appreciate that they 're staying cautious . ''

`` People who have not seen it before might be disappointed in the subtitles , but rest assured -LSB- that the existing dubs -RSB- are that horrible , '' said Seibertron.com founder Ryan Yzquierdo , from Chicago , Illinois . `` You ca n't actually sit there and watch the dubs , unless you like drinking while watching ` Transformers . ' ''

Albert said that the Takara series ' legacy extends beyond a mere curiosity : `` The themes are non-Western compared to what Hasbro does now but some of the design aesthetics do play into what we see today . ''

The other Takara series will be released in the near future as `` The Japanese Collection , '' though a production delay has postponed its release for several weeks .

Despite those delays and some early hesitation from the subtitle-phobic , Yzquierdo said that most fans are just excited to check the shows out : `` This is something that I never thought I would see released in the States . ''

Indeed , this is just the latest example of fans communicating directly with companies to make a difference in what material is released to the public . Manning has communicated often with a `` vibrant '' community of fans on the Adult Swim message boards .

`` We definitely look at what people are talking about online , what people are watching and buying online , too . From that , we 're always looking for shows that we think will appeal to our audience , and then we pass it around the office -- several of us are anime fans , as well , so we make our own focus group . ''

As for the importance of the release of `` Headmasters '' specifically , Ward said , `` It gives -LSB- fans -RSB- something definitive , something approved by Hasbro . Casual fans who just love Transformers will be really surprised by the quality of the show . These were things that were almost , for lack of a better word , lost to American audiences . ''

@highlight

Japan 's `` Transformers : Headmasters '' released in U.S. for the first time

@highlight

It 's the latest example of fans influencing what material is seen by the public

@highlight

Japan took U.S. `` Transformers '' cartoon in wild new directions

@highlight

The release reignited the anime `` subbed vs. dubbed '' debate in some circles